D-backs hit B2B2B homers, set club record

PHILADELPHIA -- Monday night marked the first game Eduardo Escobar had ever played at Citizens Bank Park.

The D-backs third baseman thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as he hit a pair of homers -- two of the Major League record 13 the two teams combined for -- as Arizona ran its winning streak to five with a 13-8 win over the Phillies.

? Box score

“It’s my first time playing here in Philadelphia,” Escobar said. “It’s my debut today here. It’s a great debut. I love Philly. It’s a good ballpark for hitting, so I think if you have good contact, you’ve got a chance. I’m so happy. Two homers is a great game, but the most important thing is the win. When you win, everything looks good.”

The D-backs hit eight of the 13 homers, with Ildemaro Vargas also hitting two, while Jarrod Dyson, Ketel Marte, David Peralta and Alex Avila each added one.

“I don’t care what kind of a ballpark you’re in, whether it’s a good hitting ballpark or not,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “When you hit 13 home runs in a game, and I’ll talk mostly about our eight, you’re doing a lot of things right. Credit goes to our guys for being ready to go.”

Not even a 30-minute rain delay to start the game could slow the D-backs out of the gate.

Dyson hit the first pitch from Jerad Eickhoff for a homer, and Marte and Peralta followed him with shots of their own to give the D-backs a 3-0 lead before Eickhoff could get his feet under him.

“Dyson, we talked about [before the game],” Eickhoff said. “Especially as of late, he’s been very patient, so we go right at him and he put one over the wall first pitch. So that was kind of interesting. Then the next couple pitches, I just didn’t execute.”

The D-backs were coming off a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays in Toronto, in which they scored 22 runs and hit seven homers.

“It was just good to get it going,” Dyson said. “Leading off with a homer set the tone, and guys came behind me and did the same thing. We’ve been swinging some good bats lately, and we’re just trying to continue it.”

The eight homers by the D-backs eclipsed the previous franchise record of six, and it was the second time in club history that they started off the first inning with three straight homers. The other time was July 21, 2017, in a home game against Nationals ace Max Scherzer.

“We came out of the gates after a little bit of a rain delay prepared,” Lovullo said. “I think they had a really good plan. I think we had a really good approach. We were sitting on particular pitches in certain counts at certain times, and we executed.”

The Phillies actually tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the third, but the D-backs turned around and hit a pair of two-run homers in the fourth and two more home runs in the fifth.

“Every mistake I made, they were able to put a pretty good swing on it,” Eickhoff said. “They were able to do that throughout the night.”

Even with a 10-4 lead, the D-backs offense didn’t shut down.

“No matter what happens in the game, we’re going to fight every at-bat,” Escobar said. “Everybody in here is going to compete every at-bat no matter what the score.”

Noteworthy

? The D-backs became the first team in baseball history to hit eight home runs in a game and surrender eight in a game in the same season. Arizona allowed eight homers to the Dodgers on Opening Day this year.

? The D-backs are the second road team all-time to start a game with three straight home runs. The Brewers also accomplished the feat Sept. 9, 2007.

? The multi-homer game was the first of Vargas’ career and it was the sixth for Escobar.

? Escobar’s homers came from each side of the plate, the first time he has accomplished that feat.